A little bee of a problem

Larry has been putting in gas lines to get ready for when the free gas is finally ready to turn on. He was running a line to the kitchen today and had to drill a hole in the outside wall. First knock on the wall brought out some mighty angry yellow jackets!

Apparently they are in the wall outside the kitchen. Poor man, he said he was a fast mover getting away from there but they still stung him three times. He's getting his revenge tonight, put kerosene down in the place where he found them. Tomorrow we'll see how many are still living. (Thank goodness for rough wood siding, you can do things like that without ruining your house). He has wasp and hornet spray to finish them off tomorrow--I hope. Unless he just made them madder.

What should be a simple job just got complicated. Isn't that the way it always goes? And of course we'll have to pull off that part of the wall, remove the nest and repair the wall. THAT will wait until winter when we're sure (or as sure as we can be) that all the bees are dead or gone.

Never a dull moment. There are times when I am quite happy to be working 50 miles away.

Don't tell Larry I said that.

A Simple Thought

I found a little book in an antique shop last week called Flowers from Dickens. It is not in great condition, but the lithographs are beautiful, on heavy off-white paper and accompanied by quotes from Charles Dickens' many books. The book opened to this quotation:

"I believe there are quiet victories and struggles, great sacrifices of self, and noble acts of heroism...done every day in nooks and corners, and in little households, and in men's and women's hearts." How well said.

Quiet victories. Those words made me think back over my week and the quiet victories I'd seen.

An elderly man in white shirt and white bob overalls, making his slow way with a walker from his door to his garden.

The lonely great white egret that has been living in the small lake at the end of our road, suddenly joined by two others. (How did they know he was here? As far as I know, these birds are unusual for this area.)

Ben on his scooter. A new skill for a boy not usually willing to take risks.

My friend standing quietly erect to receive guests at the visitation for her son's funeral, a young man of 33.

Quiet victories, every one.

I wonder how many we pass in a day without seeing them? A child who can reach the sink for the first time, a mother watching her child leave for school, a man shaving with painful arthritic fingers...the list is endless, isn't it?

Quiet victories, quiet heroes.

That Old Newspaper from 1942

These speak for themselves, don't they? These are from the newspaper we found between the floorboards of the cabin we're dismantling.

The war took the headlines,

but local news continued on its gossipy way,

and people still shopped for all kinds of things: like washers.

Laundry still had to be done, even by bachelors,

and I would imagine that these baby chicks would have been a hot commodity in the days of rationing.

Political cartoons kept people entertained,

and Eleanor did her part to keep them inspired.

People still pursued their vices too!

Life went on, even when times were hard and things were scarce.

More photos of this old paper tomorrow. 

Sunday: Apples and Pears

After no rain at all for so long the soft rain on Sunday felt like a blessing on our skin. I can only imagine how the plants and the soil felt.

We had a lot on the to-do list this weekend and surprisingly we got it all done. First was additional cleanup at the cabin which we did on Saturday.

Then it was on to putting up food. While the gardens are pretty much done with the exception of the peppers, the apple tree and pear tree are loaded. So far we've made about 30 gallons of cider and there are still plenty of apples and pears.

So Sunday was designated as Apples and Pears day. While Larry worked outside on cider (and stacking logs, an ongoing project to organize the logs from the cabin), I worked inside on mincemeat, pear conserve and applesauce.

I made green tomato mincemeat, my favorite kind. Instead of suet, I used venison in the mixture, just as I did the last time I made it. The result is tasty and spicy. You can find the recipe I use on this blog post.

The tomatoes were from the farmer's market because mine are long gone. I made one and a half times the recipe, ending up with 15 and a half pints. I loved the bright green of these tomatoes, and they were good and firm, too. 

 This year I added a couple lemons to the mix as well. The color as I chopped was a visual treat; just wish the apples had been red. But in the end, it doesn't make much difference, because once ready for cooking, the mixture looks like this:

But once it's cooked? Ah, rich, spicy brown.

Next was pear conserve. This is a recipe I concocted a couple years ago and it was so good that we hoarded jars of it to use on special occasions. The combination of pears, orange peel and juice, red cherries and spices is a taste treat, especially on a warm biscuit. It's so pretty in the jars, too.

No photos of the cooking process this time, but you can see my recipe with photos by clicking here.



I'm still working on making applesauce for apple butter cooking sometime soon, and I think I've very near my goal of 60 quarts. I cooked another half of a bushel yesterday, and hope to do one more bushel by the end of the week. My only concern is that these are all yellow apples, and I am not sure my apple butter will cook up to the rich brown color it usually does since there are no red skins lending color to the process. I guess we'll find out come cooking time.



After the day's work, it was good to relax with homemade corn bread and vegetable soup in front of our first fire in the fireplace since last April. There is no place in our home as cozy as the log room. I'm wondering if the new room will be as welcoming and if it is, how we will choose between the two in the evenings.

Saturday News

We worked at the old cabin site Saturday, still cleaning up the scattered lumber and pulling up the floor. While removing the last of 3 layers of linoleum, Larry found this newspaper sandwiched between linoleum and wood: March 2, 1942, when the US had only been in World War II a few months. The paper is very brittle and has many holes (looks like it was chewed by mice) but it is certainly interesting. I will post other photos of articles this week.

This is what the cabin site looks like now. Still more flooring to remove, and then we will disassemble the fireplace and move the stones to our house to rebuild. 

We took a different route to town, the road through the Twin Rocks which is usually not passable. It was dry and in fairly good shape, although there were some deep ruts here and there. The rocks, sadly, have been further defaced by people who feel the need to establish their presence via cans of spray paint. It's sad to think how long these rocks have stood guardian over the road and now they are being ruined by a few mindless visitors.

 Further out the ridge road, the views stretched for miles.

Bright blue chicory lined the road in some places.



We spent the evening cooking and visiting with family and friends, a relaxing time by the firepit to end a really good day. The moon was bright but the forecast of rain for Sunday was like whipped cream on top of the evening's dessert.

One Beautiful Morning

This morning was such a beautiful start to the day that I could not resist stopping to take photos on my way to work. I think you can click on any photo to make it larger.

 At the top of the driveway, the Harvest Moon stopped me in my tracks. What a lovely sight, particularly with the sun's rays beginning to paint the sky. Yesterday was the Autumnal Equinox, when day and night are supposedly the same length. I am beginning to see the difference in the mornings now, as the sun is not yet up when I leave for work. Soon it will still be dark when I leave.

Moon over mountain, 

 and hanging below the branches like an ornament.

 Through the meadow grass

The sun made his ruddy presence known. Red sky at morning--rain on the way, I hope.

 

Down by the lake, it was moon over mountain over water. The moon is just faintly visible above the hill, to the left.

I write a lot about the moon, it seems. You can read past posts and see more photos by clicking here.

24 Hours

 9:00pm Monday night: making applesauce in the near dark

 7:30 am Tuesday: morning glories and roses along the drive as I leave for work.

 7:45 am Tuesday: light fog and sunrise kept me entertained as I waited for the flagger to say "Go" on Route 33.

Intermission: 8:30-5:00 at work. Nothing worth a picture.

7:00 pm Tuesday evening: Joe's Run traffic jam on Ken Parrish hill.

7:15 pm Tuesday: last sun lights the hill above a small creek as we traveled to the old cabin site to clean up more debris.

9:00 pm Tuesday: no pics, but sitting on our son's porch, sipping wine and watching the moon rise. 

Why Didn't I Think of it Sooner?

I am one of those people who like things organized--in closets, cabinets, drawers, wherever. You might not guess that immediately on seeing my house, but it's true. As a child I liked to collect small boxes. I didn't use them for much because I didn't have much to put in them, but I liked the way they stacked so neatly in my dresser drawer. Maybe it was the possibility of organization that attracted me.

So. My husband, I suspect like many other husbands, does not share my fascination with putting things back in the same place after use. If he needs a paring knife, for example, he knows that I keep knives in the old treadle sewing machine drawers I now use for storage in the pantry cupboard. He will go straight there to get a knife. If I was the one putting away the dishes, the knife will be in the drawer. If he put away the dishes, the possibilities for the current location of the knife are endless, and mysterious. The knife may not be seen again in our lifetime.

I'm funny about bed linens too. I like matched pillowcases and matched sheets. They don't all have to match each other, but there should be two of each pillowcase and the sheets should at least be color-coordinated. I know, it's silly, right? But I buy them that way--the rose-flowered fitted sheet to go with the pink-edged top sheet, and the pink and green pillowcases. It's not high style, more like shabby chic, but I like the eclectic look. It just has to have some semblance of having been planned that way. Plain ol' shabby is just...well, shabby.

The thing is, I'm usually at work when Larry decides to change the sheets. I'm not complaining about him changing them, mind--that's a blessing. But you know, once the sets are mismatched it takes forever to get everything clean and back with its mate! It's one of those little burs under the marriage saddle that irritate but aren't important enough to make a fuss over. Well, take that back. I have made a fuss over it,  but it doesn't change a thing. I tell myself, shut up, you have clean sheets on the bed!

Finally I have hit on a solution. I bet you all figured this out long ago and here I am 59 years old and just getting it. It requires me putting away the sheets of course--which I usually do, trying to put all the matching pieces together so he can just pull them out as needed. (Doesn't work--he still manages to mismatch them).

My solution? (Drum roll, please) Fold the matching pillowcases and sheet sets together! I fold the top sheet in half, lay it on the bed, fold the fitted sheet in half and lay on top, then fold the two sheets into one bundle. Same with pillowcases--two pillowcases, laid on top of each other and folded together into one neat package. Now all he has to do is pick up one sheet and he'll have the matched set. Pick up one pillowcase and he'll have the set.

Cool, huh? And I bet you've been doing this all along! Now as I type I'm thinking, "Wait! I could fold the pillowcases in with the sheets!" Sigh. Next time, that's just what I'll do.

Why did it take me so long to figure this out?

Wordless Wednesday: Fall Comes to Joe's Run

Cider Making 101

First, start the day with a good country breakfast on the porch: fresh eggs, homemade biscuits, bacon, honey butter, fresh peach jam made by my sister Theresa, apple cider and hot coffee. Hannah helped get everything ready.

Then get the apples. Amy and Larry head up into the tree to shake apples down.

Next pick up the apples, wash them in a big washtub,

and grind and squish.

Let the pets help--from a distance.

grind and squish some more, strain the resulting juice into jugs, tape the lids tightly shut, and freeze.

Then get more apples...

hang out in the tree for pictures,

 and if you're Haley, go all the way to the top!

Then grind and squish some more, until all 15 jugs are filled, everyone is sticky and full of good cold cider.

Last, get out the grill and the chicken and put Derek to work. Make potatoes in mushroom-herb sauce, a big tossed salad, garlic bread with cheese spread, sit down on the porch and the deck, and eat.

That's how we make cider at our house, and I sure wish you could have been there with us.

You can see photos and stories from the last time we made cider here.

Microfiction Monday: Statistics

Let me see your toes.

Why?

Mama said a man's toes reflect the size of other body parts.

Shoes off, she took his hand.

Oh my.

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Join the fun! Visit Susan's blog to find out how to play. Then write your own, 140-character or less story to go with the photo, and put a link to your post on her blog. It's a good way to hone your writing skills, taking a story down to a bare minimum but still creating an entire story. Try it!

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

It's been a busy weekend, with family in to help with two big projects: tearing down the log cabin and making cider. Both got done. Here are some picks of the cabin project:

Step one: using ropes and manpower, the guys lowered the logs from the second floor.

Oh, and poles to slide the logs down on. Here the guys are getting ready to slide the second log down the poles, with Derek holding onto the rope to control the speed at which the logs slid down. You can see the notches for the roof rafters in this log.

Hard at work preparing the next log to be sent down the poles.

This log was heavy so Derek went up top to help while the younger crew held on to the rope. Believe it or not, this method worked very well.

While we waited for the truck to come and move logs out of the way, the kids got busy tearing up the floor of the old kitchen--all that was left of the kitchen, actually. Haley swings the axe to break boards loose. They also picked up two huge bags of trash from the area, with the help of Amy and me. We need this area cleared so we can move the chimney later on.

This gives you some idea of the overall condition of the cabin. It's rough, no doubt about it, and as we worked it became so shaky to go inside that we opted instead to pull the remainder of the cabin down with Burt (the Big Ugly Red Truck).

You can't really see the rope and chain that are hooked to the cabin and pulling it into that bowed shape, but...

...it worked!

The kids were instantly climbing up, just to see whatever there was to be seen. Not much, really.

Then everyone pitched in until the mess was almost totally cleaned up. Here Derek and George discuss which logs to move next as Diane and Amy work on cleaning up the remainder of the flooring. We still have a good bit of cleanup to do but we got much more work done Saturday than I ever expected. It was a totally good day all around and the weather was perfect.

The logs arrived home courtesy of Tim's big truck. What a good friend! He and his wife Diane worked right along with us to get this big job done.

Now the next part--finding the money to build the foundation and put down the floor so we can start stacking logs up again. There were quite a few in poor condition, so figuring out how to use what we have to build a room on the house will be a jigsaw puzzle, but we think we have enough good logs to get it done.

There are more photos to share and I will try to get to them tomorrow. For now, night-night! This ol' granny is right tired!